PGA event tipped to drive pre-Christmas sales

Sunshine Coast businesses are set to have a pre-Christmas boost with the Australian PGA Championship starting in Coolum this week.

More than 50,000 people are expected to attend the four-day golf tournament which begins on Thursday.

Sunshine Coast councillor Lew Brennan, who holds the economic development portfolio, says the event is expected to inject $11 million into the local economy.

"Lots of money flowing through into our retail and hospitality trades and businesses which is fantastic and it will sort of give an early acceleration to the Christmas period hopefully and boost our economy along with it," he said.

Free trade is the oldest argument in federal politics and the issue that literally defined the federation era but opposition exists to the TPP, courtesy of the Investor-State Dispute Resolutions clause.